Recruiting

CM Plus’s employees have diverse backgrounds. Some of those employees had a round-table discussion and talked about many things: why they chose CM Plus, their jobs, and their weekends. Tetsuo Fujioka, President & CPO , served as the facilitator.

Tetsuo Fujioka: Thank you very much for joining the discussion today. Some of you are new graduates and the others joined our company after years of experience in other companies. Also, you all have different expertise. First of all, could you share your reasons why you chose CM Plus please?

Kenki Sakata: I am now in charge of validation* in construction projects for medical product plants.
My major at university was applied chemistry and I worked at a general water processing facility manufacturer and a pharmaceutical company. I also have experience in manufacturing of biopharmaceutical API at a plant. Because of the experience in a plant, I became interested in projects in which I can make proposals to clients for making improvements and also in launching medical product plants. That was the reason why I chose CM Plus.

T. Fujioka: How did you learn about CM Plus?

K. Sakata: I learned the name through “GMP Platform” when I was gathering GMP* information at my previous workplace.

Atifah Naji: I mainly design production facilities as Process Engineer *3. Also, I control blueprints and translate documents.
The reason why I chose CM Plus was that I thought I would be able to acquire a wide range of knowledge by working with professionals of various fields at CM Plus and I could develop my own skills. Another reason was that I felt there would be no other companies like CM Plus. Business trips to Southeast Asian countries including my home country were also attractive.

Yoshihiro Shimada: As a consultant, I support our clients during audits at medical product manufacturing facilities, for better quality systems, and by provide them with training at site. I have visited about 20 manufacturing facilities in the past year or so. The reason for choosing CM Plus was because I was told that CM Plus was looking for someone with experience in quality assurance for biopharmaceutical manufacturing when I thought about my future career as the plant of my then company was about to close. To tell the truth, I was not sure if I could be successful as a GMP consultant at first as my experience was “broad but shallow”. Now, I think that I utilize my experience while I study every day and learn a lot from other consultants.

T. Fujioka: I was surprised by hearing that even Mr. Shimada, who is active as a consultant, once had such a feeling. Now, could you please tell me if you feel the gap between your expectations and the reality?

Hirofumi Tomimatsu: I didn’t feel any huge gap in terms of my duties . Before joining CM Plus, I had an image that the company had its strength in medical products. In reality, we have a number of opportunities to work for other industries and some of our clients are of unique businesses. I enjoy my current working environment. I am in charge of processes in conceptual designs*4 and basic designs*5 for overseas biopharmaceutical plants. As I have been engaging in biotechnological researches from student days to previous companies, it was easy for me to understand processes. In other words, it was easy for me to work on my duties.

Takashi Yahiro: Although I had experience for more than 10 years before joining this company, I was not sure if my experience and knowledge would be useful or not so I had to feel my way at first. However, I could adapt myself in this company quite smoothly thanks to CM Plus’s culture which embraces various knowledge and experience as the company operates in several companies thus its employees come from various countries and as many of its employees have experience in other companies. Currently I organize conceptual designs and basic designs, which are concepts in plant designs, as well as basic specifications, and develop schedule for launching plants as Project Engineer*6 with in-house engineers in charge of designing.

Abdul Karim: I feel that at CM Plus we appreciate the nationality, culture, and values of others thus it is a worker-friendly environment. The decisive factors for me that I chose CM Plus were “company culture”, “company growth”, and “culture to embrace its employees’ individualities and values”. Also, I was told during my job interview that CM Plus gave educational opportunities to its employees as they were the company’s valuable assets. Joining the company, I realized that those words were true. I joined CM Plus as I was eager to grow myself through job. In this sense, I don’t feel any gap as colleagues who are the specialists in medicine and pharmacy share their knowledge with me.

T. Fujioka: I think everyone in every industry or job experience hard times in their career. Therefore, I was impressed by and grateful for your stance that you feel that you grow through your job on a daily basis and that CM Plus is a place where you can use your knowledge and experience. The reasons why you can interpret everything including difficulties as opportunities, go forward persistently, and stay positive must be your vitality and strengths as human beings.

T. Fujioka: Do you have any specific examples showing that you utilize your expertise developed at university or past experience now?

A. Karim: My major at university was applied physics. My current work has no direct relation with my previous study, but I recently had an opportunity to calculate important parameter in chemical process that affect production. I used calculus to solve unsteady heat transfer calculation and vapor-liquid equilibrium's pressure convergence calculation. Thus, mathematics and physics that I learn at university are very useful.

A. Najib: Honestly, I don’t think my current duties, which are designing and management, are not directly relevant to my major (applied chemistry) at university. Once I engaged in a project for conceptual designing from the clinical trial phase to the commercial production phase. I found my specialty useful for understanding processes. Other than that, as my days at university, I study every single day to learn new things.

Y. Shimada: My experience in quality assurance is very useful in my current duties to provide support for improving manufacturing facilities. Specifically, one of my projects at my previous workplace which was for making improvements to a decades-old plant was my treasure as we compensated flaws in tangible elements with many ideas and creativity put into intangible elements again and again. Also, such experience helps me when I handle problems of our clients today.

T. Fujioka: In my opinion, young people should try and study many things regardless of their major or current job and find their own specialty. CM Plus offers engineering*7 services not only for the pharmaceutical industry, but also for other industries such as healthcare, cosmetics, and semiconductors. It also offers GMP/QMS*8 and QSR*9 consulting services, supports business expansion to other countries, offers e-learning systems, and publishes technical books. In other words, CM Plus expands its business like an ameba. Those are part of the reason why we regard an environment in which our employees can learn as the most important thing.

T. Fujioka: Now, could you share your plans or interests in your future career please?

T. Fujioka: English is surely a language which is commonly used in global business communities and would be used in Japan more than before so we should learn the language. Please work hard and make it real.

A. Karim: I would like to be a professional project engineer. Therefore, I work hard to develop a wide range of knowledge in addition to that of my major (physics).

A. Najib: One of my dreams is to work globally. We completed an overseas project just recently. Although I was a newcomer, I could contributed to the completion of the project by actively communicating with our clients thanks to support from my senior colleagues. Now I enjoy studying some specialties and I strongly feel that I would become a professional of one of them. Also, I would like to try many things in the next several years such as work for various fields which I am interested in and which are suitable to me including overseas projects.

K. Sakata: Currently, I mainly work for qualification*10. In the future, I would like to develop a wide range of knowledge such as medical product development and application as well as Quality Management System so that I can engage in the whole process of medical product manufacturing.

T. Fujioka: At CM Plus, we have excellent in-house education and training programs. Which means the company has a system to support you when you ask for it. Please fully utilize the system while you learn from your senior colleagues. I would look forward to seeing you growing in terms of skills and also as a person. Our business can be done because of our people, which are our employees. For that reason, we believe continuous education is necessary and that should be provided as part of their duties. That is the reason why each employee has their own career path and educational programs and mentor systems are offered and introduced for them at CM Plus.

T. Fujioka: Now, could you tell me what you usually do during weekends please?

A. Karim: I usually enjoy weekends with my family including doing housework. Sometimes we go camping in the woods or on the beach.

T. Yahiro: I’m married and have two elementary school children. My wife has her own career, too, so we try to go out during weekends as much as possible in order to let our children experience many things. When I have some time to myself, I usually go on a hike. I would go somewhere near from home such as Tanzawa or Okutama for day trips; I would choose Oku Chichibu or Oku Nikko for overnight trips and bring my tent. I started jogging as I noticed that I had gained some weight but I cannot be sure if I can do this as my daily routine or not yet.

T. Fujioka: I think spending time with family means a lot to us.

K. Sakata: As I was a member of a basketball team at university, I enjoy playing basketball with my colleagues some weekends as we have a sport club at CM Plus. Also, I go out for a drink with my colleagues sometimes. As there are many restaurants in CM Plus’s neighborhood, I sometimes go out for a drink with my colleagues on weekdays, too.

T. Fujioka: Yes, we have a sport club at CM Plus. You would feel refreshed after enjoying sports so please have good time with your colleagues regardless of your teams at work.

A. Najib: I usually don’t stay at home during weekends as I love travelling. I used to think that I would visit other countries once or twice every year after I start working. Now I do that every year thanks to the special incentive leave (CM Plus has a program in which we can take leave for 5 consecutive days every year). On weekdays, I watch movies, read, and sometimes enjoy dinner with friends after work.

S. Watanabe: I’m into hot food recently and enjoy having some hot dishes at restaurants or cooking peperoncino, kimchi-jjigae and other dishes at home. My recommendations are LEE ×20 (ready-made curry) and Moukotanmen Nakamoto’s Karafuto Don (rice topped with tofu cooked with chili). By all means, try some.

H. Tomimatsu: I take tea ceremony lessons 3 times a month. I like the tea ceremony as I can stay focused and relaxed. Also, I love to enjoy seeing tea cups for the ceremony.

Y. Shimada: I enjoy running twice or three times every week and I have finished at least 20 marathon races. I enjoy partially because of a glass of beer after running and because it often means an outing with my friends.

T. Fujioka: I understand that each of you has your own hobbies and enjoy fulfilled time. People who enjoy both working and personal life to the fullest might be also CM Plus’s appeal. I would like you to inspire one another and develop your own skills.

* The information (positions, etc.) described in the roundtable discussion will be the one at the time of the roundtable discussion.